


The Aftermath

by xplrfics



Category: Sam and Colby
Genre: Emotional Hurt, Established Relationship, Friendship, Gen, Hurt Colby Brock, Hurt Sam, Hurt Sam Golbach, Hurt/Comfort, Paradise Island, Platonic Relationships, Protective Colby Brock, Protective Sam Golbach, Trauma, katrina is an angel, traphouse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:07:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29428569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xplrfics/pseuds/xplrfics
Summary: Sequel To Paradise Island ▪️“Nobody spoke. Nobody had to. The relief, sadness, and shock they'd feel for the forthcoming months would speak for themselves." - Paradise Island
Relationships: Colby Brock & Sam Golbach, Sam Golbach/Katrina Stuart
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

"He felt a nudge to his knee, cracked an eye open, and saw Sam holding out his hand. He clasped it with his own" - colby 

———————————————->

{sam's POV} 

It's a funny thing, adrenaline. One second your bodies full of energy, blood pumping, heart racing. And then just like that, like a balloon deflating... you're thrown back into reality. Thats how sam felt as he sat in that helicopter, flying over the northwest of the Na Pali Coast. Like he'd not really lived the past few hours of his life. Like he hadn't just been bashed around the head about 4 times and shoved in a cage. Like he hasn't just come seconds away from having his heart yanked out and offered to the dark lord. 

The whole thing had been a blur; everything a merge of shouting and screaming and blood- so much blood. And now, everything had slowed down. He could breathe again, he could relax into that helicopter seat and breathe. 

And then, the pain hit. He knew that he'd broken his arm; that was made clear from the moment Trey had battered it with a Buddha Bust. But he'd barely noticed it, to be honest. He was in such a daze, and then the blinding panic of being tied up completely over-powered the pain of a broken bone. It had been numb, painless; but now... it throbbed. It was throbbing with every beat of his heart, and when he dared a glance down at it; he wished he hadn't. The blondes skin, tinted slightly red from the Hawaiian sun, was painted in blacks and blues- his limb red and angry and swollen; screaming at him in pain. Hot tears sprung to Sam's eyes, as he bit his lip and tilted his head back against the seat. Speaking of his head; sam knew that was a cause for concern. It was aching, a deep throb stemming from the top of his head. Now that he thought about it, his poor head had suffered more assault than anyone else's in this helicopter. The entire group had been knocked unconscious once; but sam had to go through the tortuous process again when he attempted his escape. He could feel the thin line of blood still trickling down his temple; and he was guessing the damp substance he could feel matted in his hair was the same thing. God, he bet he looked like a member of the walking dead. 

Sam exhaled painfully, shifting a little in his seat; but immediately wished he hadn't as yet more pain shot through his aching body. His hand that was still laced in Colby's squeezed, causing the brunette to turn to look towards the blonde.   
"Sam?" Colby asked softly. The blonde met his eyes, and the two shared a silent conversation.. something years of friendship had allowed them to do.   
"Hey um, Manuel!" Colby called, raising his voice over the loud sound of the blades rotating noisily above their heads . Manuel's head perked up from his position in the pilots seat, almost prompting colby to continue.   
"How long till we get to a hospital?" Colby asked.   
"Not long. Sit tight." 

Sam whined slightly, tugging his good hand out of Colby's grip and grasping at his neck. It was throbbing too, like the rest of his body. Bruises danced on the skin there; the memory of that electrical cord wrapping around his throat all still too fresh of a memory for the blonde. A tear finally trickled down his cheek, the water contrastingly cool against his burning skin. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to take deep, calm breaths. They'd be at the hospital soon. He'd be okay again, he could get a phone, call Kat- god... Kat. He wanted his girlfriend so badly in that moment; his heart was suddenly overcome with a new type of pain, that coursed through his bones with every beat. He missed her, oh he couldn't wait to hold her, tell her how much he loved her. He didn't know if he'd ever get to do that again. He didn't know if he'd ever get to do anything again. But, he didn't want to think about that right now. With another painful exhale, he slumped against his best friend and let his head fall to his shoulder. He didn't miss Colby's sharp inhale of pain, but the brunette wrapped his arm around Sam anyhow. The blonde let one more tear slip, and willed unconsciousness to swallow him. And when it eventually did, the sharp throb of his battered arm was the last thing he felt. 

The next time Sam opened his eyes, he was in a bed. A very uncomfortable bed, but a bed all the same. The pain was one of the first things to return in his now conscious state- the ache of his head, the throb of his arm, the burn of the marks on his wrists and ankles from where the rope had dug aggressively into his skin. Sam sucked in a breath, trying to move, but the weight of his painful body yanked him back down onto the white sheets. Slowly, he tilted his head to the side, smiling when he was met with the unconscious form of his best friend. Colby was passed out in a chair by his bed, head tilted back and mouth hanging open in a comical way. From what sam could see, Colby's injuries had already been tended to. There was a white patch stuck to the back of his head, and bandages wrapped around his wrists and ankles, where rope burns identical to Sam's sat embedded on the brunettes skin. The brunettes face was still tanned from their days in the sun, but dark bags hung under his eyes. Sam wondered how long his best friend had sat there waiting for the blonde to wake up before he fell asleep. Probably hours, knowing colby. If this horrible experience had taught him anything, it's that he'd never have a better friend than Colby Brock. His brother. 

Suddenly, the door to Sam's room swung open, the large squeak from the hinges making him cringe. They needed to get some oil on that ASAP. The loud noise also jolted colby from his slumber- he sat bolt upright from his slouched position in the chair; eyes immediately landing on sam, his whole body relaxing when he noticed he was awake.   
"You're... hey," colby smiled. Sam suppressed a laugh, trying to refrain from any kind of movement to keep the pain down. Slowly, he moved his neck around to check who was at the door. Nate was making his way into the room, Alex following slowly behind- eyes trained on the floor. Nate had similar dressing on his wounds as colby, Alex too- but another bandage stuck across the slash on his neck. Sam tore his eyes away immediately, memories re-surfacing of knives slashing into skin, cracking through bone.. blood pouring out onto-   
"Hey! You're awake bro!" Nate exclaimed happily. Sam raised his eyebrows at the enthusiasm. Judging from Nates smile, you wouldn't have thought that just hours ago he was tied to the floor crying and screaming.   
"You feel okay?" Colby questioned.   
"Sore, but okay.. I think," sam answered, his voice a little scratchy. He coughed to clear his throat, before finally daring a look down to his broken arm. It was neatly plastered in a white cast, resting on top of a pillow by his side.   
"Compound fracture. They had to operate. It'll heal though," colby explained softly; and Sam nodded with a shaky exhale. It'd heal... yeah. He'd heal too, hopefully. 

"Oh, yeah. I promised I'd do this as soon as you woke up!" Colby suddenly remembered, grabbing his phone.   
Sam watched him for a second, before letting his gaze wander back to Nate and Alex. Nate was grabbing a chair from the corner and making his way over, but Alex hung awkwardly in the corner. Sam understood. He probably felt so, so guilty right now. And part of Sam wanted him to go, to go and never come near him again... god- he could still see him staring at him through the bars, with that shit eating grin.   
No. That wasn't Alex. Sam had to remember that. So, he took a deep breath.   
"Come over bro," Sam breathed. Alex's head shot up, and he connected eyes with the blonde. He almost looked like he was going to protest, but instead he zipped his gaze back to the floor and shuffled over, leaning against a wall near Nate.   
"Here!" Colby smiled, and Sam suddenly recognised the familiar sound of a phone dialling into the air.   
"Is he okay?"   
Sams heart jumped, and he immediately stuck his good arm out to snatch the phone from colby.  
"Kat..." he breathed, tears pricking his eyes from the sound of his girlfriends voice.   
"It's me, I'm here," was her reply.   
Sam's eyes fluttered closed, a sigh of relief leaving his chapped lips.

"God- I didn't know if I'd ever get to tell you again.. I love you Kat- I love you so, so fucking much."


	2. Chapter 2

{sams pov} 

Despite everything, the beauty of the island never failed to amaze Sam. Tall, swaying palm trees, bright green shrubbery, crystal blue ocean. It was even more beautiful from above. Sam sighed, resting his head back against the seat he was sat in, eyes taking their last glimpses of Hawaii out of the plane window. He was finally going home. Back to L.A. Back to his little apartment. Back to his girlfriend. After weeks of laying in a hospital bed waiting for the all clear from the doctor; the four of them were finally leaving. Colby sat next to the blonde, head down as his fiddled with his hands, fingers gliding over the marks on his tanned wrists. Tears were clouding his vision, but the brunette wasn't about to let them fall. Colby Brock was a strong, strong man. Sam knew that. The blonde sighed, glancing down at his own wrists. Identical rope burns lay indented on his pale skin. A reminder of what they'd been through. A reminder of how he felt laying on that cold basement floor, unable to move. How it felt to look at colby, and share that private little conversation... because they truly feared it'd be their last. 

"whatever happens, i want you to know... you changed my life. hear me?"

Colby's words rattled in his head. He squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep inhale. He didn't want to focus on that anymore. He wanted to push that aside, focus on the excitement of going home rather than the anxiety bubbling in his chest. He settled back into his seat, turning his head to look at Alex and Nate, who were seated beside sam and colby on the opposite isle. Nate was videoing the island, on the only phone that had survived this trip. The four had been able to go back to their holiday home they were staying at and retrieve some of their belongings; but Georgia and Trey had taken all their electronics, and there was no way they were going back to get them. Nate's phone was never taken from his back pocket, remarkably- which was such a relief. It was reassuring to know there was something they could use to contact people at home. And the fans, who were wondering what the hell was going on. This experience was gonna make one hell of a video- but Sam felt it was too intense for a video, it deserved something even cooler, but whatever. He'd think that through later. Besides, he was nowhere near ready to have what happened to him released to the public. He didn't know if he ever would be, but Sam let those worries bury themselves in the back of his brain for another day. Alex sat beside Nate, hunched over himself; fiddling with his fingers. The boy hasn't quite forgiven himself yet, but hopefully with time; he'd heal. Hopefully with time, they'd all heal. 

Walking out of that airport into L.A, was a feeling sam would never forget. The beeping of horns and the movement of traffic rattled in his ears, such a contrast to the quiet, stillness of Hawaii. But, sam didn't care. He was home.   
"SAM!"  
The blonde spun around, eyes dancing around the crowd desperately. He knew that voice. Finally, he saw her. Blue hair racing through the mass of bodies climbing into taxis. Racing towards him. He shoved his bags to the side, hurrying to meet her halfway. She crashed into his arms, well- as best she could. The big, white, bulging cast on his arm kinda got in the way, but they made it work. The blonde buried his face in blue hair, the familiar scent of his beautiful girlfriend filling his nose.   
"Kat.." he sobbed. He didn't know when he'd started crying, but he didn't care. She was crying too, he could feel it seeping through his shirt and dampening the skin of his shoulder, but that didn't matter right now. He was home.   
"I- god, Kat," he spoke shakily. She just nodded, she knew exactly what he was trying to say.   
I love you. I'm so glad you're here. I never thought I'd see you again.   
So many words sam wanted to speak, he'd planned a whole speech on the plane. But now the words stuck in his throat, got lost in the steady flow of tears cascading down their cheeks. Finally, they broke the hug to look at each other. Katrina smiled softly, giggled; though it mixed with a sob. It was a strange noise, it made sam laugh. And that made Kat laugh. And soon they were just two crying kids laughing in the midst of a crowd of people. Sam could've laughed forever. Could've stood there with his girlfriend forever, laughing. But there was something he had to do. So, he leant forward, hand pressing to her damp cheek, and gently pressed his lips to hers. Finally. He was home.


	3. Chapter 3

"Spirit, we beseech you to bind and hold us together with your kind and wilful energy, create a portal through which our Dark Lord will enter" 

Sam struggled. 

"So dazzling blinding was Sam's pain.." 

Sam whimpered 

"Dark Lord, do you hear us?"

Sam cried out. 

"Colby's gaze caught his. In them, Sam could see a lifetime of good times, of goofing off, of videos made, of stories told, of secrets shared, of teamwork, of sorry's and thank yous"

Sam was sobbing 

"it's okay. see you on the other side."

Sam screamed. 

—————————————->

"Sam? Sam, baby... it's okay."

It wasn't okay. It was so, so far from okay. Sam was sobbing, proper, heartfelt cries leaving his chapped lips. He was barley aware of the hand rubbing up and down his sweaty back, but it was good to know he wasn't alone. That his girlfriend was right there. He just wanted to turn around and curl into her arms, forget the world. But he couldn't. Because all he could see- was that look in his best friends eyes when they were seconds from death. The way Nate and Alex had been screaming, pleading to be released. And Sam had said nothing, because Sam could barley move, let alone talk. He could hear the crunch of bones, the noise of daggers digging into chests, hands being hacked off in a short-lived attempt of freedom. The noise of the blood-stained metal bowl clanking against the basement floor. The bowl that was supposed to hold his young, beating heart. 

He could still smell the salvia, like it was stuck inside his nostrils, and every time he inhaled its like he was right back in that house, breathing it in- thinking it was just some weird hippy shit. He could still feel the pain- the searing, blinding pain of that Buddha bust colliding with his arm, his head, his back. His wrists burned, and he had to keep touching them, smoothing his fingers over the skin- just to be sure. Just so he could be sure that there wasn't rope there, tied so tightly- binding him to that basement floor as cries and screams bounced about the walls. He could still feel that dark, shadowy presence, and the sensation that came with it. The headaches, the breathlessness, the nausea, the feeling of air leaving his lungs, his own hands clutching at his throat as he gasped for oxygen... the tears streaming down his face as he pleaded for Colby to find him, to hear him, from just the other side of the wall. 

Sam cried, hands clutching at his wrists in an attempt to ground him, to remind him that he was safe, he was home. But he couldn't breathe. He could BREATHE. He couldn't- 

———————————————->

Sam had nightmares every night. So Kat wasn't surprised when she was pulled from her slumber by Sam thrashing about next to her. She'd rolled over, pulling her fingers through his messy blonde hair and smoothing the skin of his cheek, hoping he'd settle. But instead, he'd suddenly gasped, eyes flying open, body flying upright until he was sitting. His chest was heaving, his whole upper body shuddering with the force of the breaths entering and leaving his screaming lungs. "Sam? Sam, baby... it's okay," she'd tried. Her gentle hand started to rub his back, up and down, up and down. Small, soft movements. It normally worked. It normally coaxed him right out of his head and into her arms. But not tonight. Tonight was different, and it was horrifying. The blonde was breathing quicker than before, so fast she could barely see his chest rising and falling. He was making these weird, choking sounds- sobs clogging his throat as air fought desperately to fight its way into his lungs. His hands were grabbing at his wrists, and Kat had to avert her eyes from the red, swollen areas. She hated looking at the marks. The constant reminder of what her boyfriend had been through. It was only because of Colby she knew what had happened. That they'd all been tied to the floor of some basement and offered to the dark lord. Colby's explanation was brief. He didn't want to tell her everything, said it was Sam's job to talk to her. But Sam wouldn't talk. Sam wouldn't talk about what happened, about his nightmares. Whenever she bought it up, he either changed the subject or just blatantly ignored her. She'd tried everything, but it seemed the only thing she could do to help was gather him in her arms and pull a hand though his hair. But right now, with Sam coughing and spluttering and gasping for air, she knew a simple hug couldn't fix this one. She didn't know what to do.  
"Sam... baby please, you're scaring me."  
Sam showed no sign that he'd heard her. Kats own breathing picked up, as she scrambled for her phone. Should she phone an ambulance? Sam couldn't breathe...  
As she fumbled for her contacts, her thumb hovered over the emergency call button, before her eyes landed on a contact that she didn't even think of before, but now seemed like the best option. She clicked colbys name, holding the phone to her ear as her free hand continued to move up and down sams back.  
"What...?"  
Colby's voice was deep, thick with sleep. She felt a tinge of guilt for waking him, but the sound of her boyfriends sharp, painful attempts at breaths overcome that in a heartbeat.  
"Colby... colby please can you help," she sobbed. Her choked voice surprised her, she didn't realise she was crying.  
"Kat? Kat what's wrong?" Colby asked, all evidence of sleep gone from his voice.  
"It's Sam... it's Sam he won't.. he can't breathe, please... can you come over?"  
Katrina had never been so thankful the two boys lived next door to each other. Not even two minutes after colby hung up the phone, she could hear the door to Sam's apartment opening, footsteps running through the space and into the bedroom. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw the brunette, hand coming up to wipe her eyes as she shuffled away from her boyfriend. Colby could sort this.

"Sam? Sam... brother?"  
Colby's voice was soft. Softer than Kat had ever heard it before. She watched as the brunette slowly sat down in front of Sam, hand coming to rest gently on the blondes knee. When Sam jumped, he retracted it immediately.  
"Hey... what's going on?" Colby asked smoothly. Kat slowly shuffled closer, Colby looking up at her.  
"What happened?" He asked.  
"I don't know! Another nightmare? It just.. it's never been this bad.." she sniffed, another tear escaping from her eyes.  
"It's alright, just... he needs us to be calm.. okay?" Colby said softly. Kat nodded, and colby smiled at her gently, before returning his attention to Sam.  
"Sam... it's Colby, yeah? You know me, your best friend. Breathe, Sam..."  
The blonde didn't show any sign of hearing him, eyes squeezed shut, but to Kats surprise, her boyfriend shot his hand out, grasping at Colby's wrist. The brunette hissed, the friction of the blondes skin on his rope burns making him tense up.  
"Ow... Sam," colby muttered. But the blonde didn't let go, his eyes slowly fluttering open. Colby watched, as the blonde felt around Colby's wrist with his shaking fingers, before grasping his own pale wrist, the one he could get to- the other one still encased in a white cast. It took colby a moment, before he suddenly realised what was going on. "Sam.. Sam hey, we're not there, okay. There's no rope... no rope anywhere I promise. Just breathe... brother," colby whispered. Kats heart ached. God, she hated this. She hated that he'd been hurt, that he was still hurting. And there's nothing she could do. Because despite colby filling her in on the basics, she knew nothing. She didn't know anything, because her boyfriend wouldn't talk. He wouldn't talk about what had happened to him to anyone, not his parents, not colby, not her, not his friends. Nobody. He kept it all bottled up, until he exploded, the emotion bursting out of his body. And that's what happened tonight. And Kat was speechless, she didn't know what to do. So she let colby help. Let him calm down her sobbing boyfriend, and watched as he slowly coaxed him out of whatever alternate world he was lost in. Watched as the blonde shuffled forward and let Colby's arm encase him, holding his tightly. She watched as her boyfriend held out a shaky arm for her, she felt herself shifting forward, and then it was the three of them, pressed together in this strange little circle of hugs, all of them crying. And they stayed there for a while, until the sun crept in through the blinds, dancing on their skin. Kat sighed, listening to the thud of her boyfriends heart, as they finally got back into bed, and colby had left.  
"I'm sorry..." Sam muttered.  
Kat just sighed again.  
"Don't you dare say that, Sam."  
The blonde just sniffed, hugging Kat closer.  
"I'm here.. okay. And I'm not going anywhere," Kat whispered. Sam nodded, pressing a gentle kiss to her blue hair. 

"I love you."

"I love you more."


	4. Chapter 4

Sam would like to be able to say the nightmares have stopped. That they’ve died down a little, at least. But unfortunately, that’s not the case. If anything, they’ve got worse. More vigorous, more graphic- louder, harsher, scarier. Sam couldn’t take it. So, he didn’t sleep. Whilst his girlfriend slept soundly beside him, Sam would lie awake, fingers gliding through silky blue hair as he stared aimlessly at the ceiling; waiting for the first signs of morning to seep in through the cracks in the blinds. On nights where his girlfriend wasn’t with him, Sam would stay up and watch shows on Netflix to distract himself. It rarely worked though. Most nights he’d close his eyes, just for a second, he’d say. Just to rest them. Then the next thing he knew he’d be jolting awake, reeling from the horrendous scenes his brain was tormenting him with, over and over again. On one particular night, he dreamt that Georgia had gone ahead with the sacrifice, and Sam had to watch as she plunged her dagger into Colby’s chest- the brunette screaming and crying and pleading for it to stop. Shouting for help, shouting for Sam...   
It’s safe to say that a very hysterical Sam had shown up at Colby’s door that night, just to check he was living and breathing, and not laying in Georgia’s basement with a dagger in his chest. 

And if that wasn’t bad enough, Sam would often dream of the shadow man. He dreamt of it pushing him into the wall, crushing him. Suffocating him. Sometimes, he was back on that waterfall, feeling his shins bash against the hard rock as he’d dropped to his knees; his friends frantic shouts of his name echoing in his ears. 

Sam didn’t want to witness that again. So he’d stay awake. But, easier said than done. Sleep always came for him, always lulled him in, forced him to flutter his eyes closed- sending him into a dark oblivion. Peaceful. And then it would take a dark turn.

—————————————->

To say Kat was worried about her boyfriend was an understatement. The dark circles under his eyes were so prominent, even with the makeup he was doing a horrible job of applying every morning in an attempt to cover them up. She wondered if Colby had noticed it too. Wondered if he was going through something similar, if he could help him in any way. 

And that’s how she found herself sat on Colby’s sofa at 6pm on a Thursday evening, as the brunette sat beside her, fiddling with his camera as he removed the SD card, ready to give to Reggie so he could edit his video ready for tomorrow. Sam had popped to the grocery store, so Kat took the opportunity to approach colby.   
“I just... don’t know how to help him,” Kat breathed, taking a sip from the water bottle she’d retrieved from the brunettes nearly empty fridge.   
“I feel so helpless...”   
Colby looked up at that, placing the camera down bedside him for a moment before turning to face the girl properly.   
“He’s not... he’s not getting better,” Kat sighed. Colby furrowed his eyebrows. He was worried about his best friend, course he was. Sure, the brunette was still scarred from the experience, still had bone-chilling nightmares, but not like Sam. Never like Sam.   
“He won’t sleep, he won’t eat. He never wants to do anything...” Kat spoke softly, picking at a loose thread on her jumper. Slowly, she looked up at colby.   
“I was thinking, maybe you could talk to him?” She asked hopefully. Colby just smiled, nodding his head.   
“Course.” 

————————————->

“When was the last time you slept?” 

Sam groaned, pressing his back further into Colby’s sofa.   
“Last night, if you must know.”   
Colby scoffed.   
“Yeah, and pigs can fly.”   
Sam scowled, turning to glare at the brunette.   
When colby had text Sam saying they needed to talk, he expected them to be sat down discussing new video ideas or something. Sam didn’t expect to be interrogated about his sleeping, eating, social life. Colby sounded like his mother.   
“Sam Golbach, I’ve known you for years. I know when your lying to me,” colby sighed, gently sitting down next to his friend. Sam stiffened slightly, a slight tensing of his muscles. Colby noticed, his harsh glare softening slightly. Hawaii had really messed this kid up, huh. 

“Please, just talk to me...” colby pleaded. Sam’s eyes finally left the ground for the first time since colby had started talking, and the brunette winced at the sight of dark bags under his eyes. He could see little patches of makeup clinging to the skin, desperately trying to conceal the tiredness from showing on his pale skin.   
“You’re crap at makeup, by the way,” colby smirked.   
“What?” Sam questioned.   
“That concealer under your eyes. Doesn’t even match your skin tone.”   
Sam shot him a glare, standing up.   
“No, wait. I’m sorry, just... sit back down, please,” colby pleaded, grabbing sams wrist and tugging him back down onto the cushions. Sam yelped, tearing his arm from Colby’s grasp.   
“Dick.”   
“How nice,” colby muttered.  
“Sorry.”   
“Don’t apologise-“  
“No. I’m sorry about everything.”   
Colby’s eyes widened. Right. Here we go. He was getting somewhere.   
“What are you sorry for?”   
“Being such a douchebag recently.”   
“Sam... dude. You’ve been through something traumatic-“   
“So have you. And you’re fine.”   
Colby scoffed at his words, and Sam furrowed his eyebrows.   
“Believe me. I’m far from fine.”   
Sams eyes softened, and the brunette smiled slightly as the blonde shuffled along the sofa a little, moving closer to his friend.   
“Anyway, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted,” colby joked, Sam grinning a little in his peripheral vision.   
“You have been through something so, so traumatic, Sam. You’re not just gonna be magically okay overnight. But you’re not... you’re not going through this alone, okay..”   
Sam was staring at him, tired eyes boring into Colby’s.   
“Please... please just talk.”   
Sam sniffed, fiddling with his fingers as he glanced down at his lap. After what felt like an eternity to colby, Sam finally filled the silence. 

“I keep seeing your face, in my dreams. That look you gave me... like you knew we were gonna die... and you were saying goodbye..”   
Colby’s heart ached.   
“And... and when Troy kicked you, when Georgia almost killed you.. I couldn’t do anything. I was so, so helpless...”   
“Sam-“  
“I just had to watch everything happen. Accept my fate... everyone else was screaming and I was just... there.”   
Colby shuffled closer.   
“And i see the shadow man, feel him on me. Like I can’t breathe. I can smell the salvia, I can feel the rope on my wrists and I feel like I can’t move... I can hear you screaming and I can hear Nate crying, and the bones crunching when Georgia...”   
Colby winced at the memory.   
“That poor boys hand...”   
And then the floodgates opened, and Sam sobbed. And colby was there, holding him closely, rubbing up and down his back, whispering soothing nothings into the air. And the brunette couldn’t help but be relieved. Because this was finally Sam. This was finally Sam letting himself feel. Finally letting himself go after bottling everything away for all this time. When the blonde removed his face from Colby’s shoulder, his tears had washed away the poor attempt at makeup underneath his eyes. And Colby’s heart broke further, if that was possible- when he saw the extent of the bags under his best friends eyes. Kat was right. Sam needed help.   
“Better?”   
“No,” Sam mumbled. Colby smiled softly.   
“How about this...”   
Sam looked up at the brunette through his tear soaked eyelashes, waiting.   
“You take a nap, right here, and then when you wake up; I’ll call Kat, and the three of us can have a pizza night?” Colby proposed.   
Sam thought about it for a second, before nodding softly. Colby grinned like a mad man, standing up abruptly to go and grab Sam some pillows and blankets. He’d let the blonde sleep in his bed, but he wanted his best friend somewhere he could watch over him, be there if he had a nightmare. 

He expected some kind of protesting from Sam, but the blonde simply took the blankets and pillows from colby, made himself a makeshift nest on the couch, let his eyes fall shut and drifted off to sleep. A peaceful one, colby hoped. The brunette watched him for a minute, before deciding that was a bit creepy and texting Katrina instead. 

“Mission completed. Samuel Golbach is now fast asleep 👍” 

He pressed send, then wrote another little message about coming over for pizza later. A few minutes later, Kats reply rolled in. 

“Thank god for that! And yes, I’ll be there.”

For the next couple hours, colby pottered around his apartment, unsure of what he could do that would be quiet enough for Sam to sleep through. The blonde was a light sleeper, sharing a room with him all those years ago was a nightmare. All colby had to do was cough and Sam would have been jerking awake and muttering for colby to ‘shut the fuck up’ under his breath.

Eventually, the brunette ended up perched at the end of the couch by Sam’s feet, watching the tv. He’d muted it, and put subtitles on. It was a pain, but if it meant Sam could sleep, he’d do it. Colby looked over at his blonde friend for a second, taking on the calm look that had blanketed his face. It made him so relieved, to realise Sam was finally at peace. Colby felt quite peaceful himself actually, sitting in this silent apartment, the only noise being the gentle breathes leaving the blondes lips to flutter against the cushion he was resting his head on. And, the obnoxious ringing of a phone, that now colby came to think of it, was actually quite annoying-   
Shit!   
The brunette dove forward, grabbing his phone of the table in front of the couch, not even checking who it was as he ended the call. His head snapped to the side as Sam groaned, but to his relief, the blonde simply rolled over, snuggling his face into the blanket and letting sleep overcome him again. Colby sighed in relief, clicking on his phone to see a missed call from Nate. Colby raised an eyebrow, before moving to his bedroom to call him back without disturbing Sam. 

“Hey Colby.”   
“Hey Nate.”   
“How are you?”   
Colby paused.   
“Getting by... you?”  
“Getting by.”  
An uncomfortable silence settled over the two of them. Even separated by thousands of miles, this awkwardness between the two was suffocating.   
“Was there something you wanted?”  
“No... not really. Just wanted to check in, I guess.”   
“Oh... okay.”   
More silence.   
“Hey Nate..”   
“Yeah,”   
“Have you been... having nightmares?”   
“Yeah. Alex has too.”   
“How bad are they?”  
Nate exhaled, and colby could imagine him pulling his hand through his hair, a very Nate thing to do.   
“Pretty bad. Bearable though, it’s not like I wake up in the middle of the night screaming my head off... just jerk awake, maybe gasp.. i dunno..” Nate trailed off.   
“It’s just... Sam...”   
“Is he okay?”   
“I don’t know.”  
“What do you mean?”  
Colby exhaled, as Nate had done, leaning against the wall.   
“This whole thing has really fucked him up... and I’m scared. For him, I mean.”  
“It was bound to shake him up a bit-“  
“No, no he’s damaged, Nate. Maybe PTSD, I don’t know... he’s so damn anxious all the time and it’s scaring me, and Katrina..”   
“Damn.. dude..”   
“He won’t talk to her about what happened- Kat, that is. I know it’s killing her.”   
Nate sighed, and colby could hear some shuffling from the other side of the phone as the other man sat down.   
“Will he talk to you?”   
“Yes, but then I was there. I went through the same thing, it’s easier that way. He won’t talk to anyone else about it, not Kat, not his parents, not Corey, not Jake..”   
“A therapist?”   
“And how the hell am I supposed to get him there?”  
“Drag him?” Nate joked.   
Colby scoffed, smile playing on his lips.   
“He’d never forgive me.”  
Nate chucked. Silence overcame them again, but it was a comfortable one this time.   
“Hey Colby..”   
“Yes, Nate.”   
“Sam’s gonna be fine, brother. I promise.” 

Colby sighed, slightly creaking open his bedroom door to peer at the sleeping silhouette of his best friend underneath the mountain of blankets he was snuggled under. 

“Yeah... yeah. I know.”


	5. Chapter 5

Colby wasn’t a massive coffee fan. He’d literally never had it before, until his mum visited him in LA and persuaded him to try a plain, black coffee from Starbucks. And he’d hated it. And vowed to never drink coffee again. And that’s why it was so strange that Colby Brock was standing in a busy Starbucks on a Sunday morning waiting for his order to be called out. The brunette had been so, so tired recently; busying himself with making sure Sam was getting enough sleep, that Sam was eating enough, that Sam was showering and going on walks to get him out the apartment. And he was doing so much better, truly he was. Even Kat had noticed the positive changes in her boyfriends behaviour. But, all this worrying about other people, colby supposed he’d forgotten to look after himself. So, long story short; colby was tired. And after the cold shower didn’t cut it this morning, he decided to give coffee another shot. Kat had advised him to try the caramel latte, so that’s exactly what he did.   
“Brock?”   
Colby shuffled forward, carefully edging himself through the mass of people waiting for their coffee. He smiled at the worker as he carefully grabbed the cup from her, and then he slid out of the over-crowded space. He took a deep breath when he finally made it outside, air filling his lungs. He never was a fan of crowded spaces. The brunette smiled slightly as the L.A. sun beat down on him, and he turned and began his walk back to his apartment. Colby would have normally taken his car, but he was so tired, he didn’t trust himself behind a wheel. The brunette rubbed his eyes, bringing the coffee cup up to his lips and taking a sip. He made a face, earning a few amused glances from passers by. The drink was sweet, but the aftertaste was bitter as the coffee flavour punched through the caramel. He sighed. He just didn’t like coffee. Maybe if it stayed warm enough, Sam could have it when he got back. The blonde wasn’t a huge coffee drinker either, but he didn’t mind it. The brunette sighed, looking out at the city as he walked. All these people walking by, minding their own business. Colby liked people watching, as weird as that was to say. He liked to just look at all these human beings, a complete stranger to him; but to other people- a husband, wife, daughter, mother, father. Each one had a story, many had been through trauma, like colby. The brunette wondered if people looked at him, and could tell he’d been through something horrific. If they could know just by glancing at him. Colby sighed, bringing the cup to his lips and taking another swig. Hmmm. Slightly better than last time. Maybe his tastebuds were adjusting. Can tastebuds adjust? Colby shook his head.  
“God. I need to get out more.” He muttered to himself, as he nonchalantly glanced across the street. His blue eyes danced from person to person, until they settled on one in particular. And it made him stop in his tracks. Because this wasn’t just another random stranger taking a stroll down the streets of Los Angeles. No. He knew this person. It was woman, a deeply tanned woman, wearing a wrap around skirt, and a necklace of tiny shells around her neck. Just as before, she wore no top, and colby couldn’t help but notice that nobody was staring at her; nobody was giving her strange looks or chucking garments of clothing at her so she could cover up or anything like that. Actually, It seemed the brunette was the only one looking at her. And she was staring back at colby with those insistent, seafoam eyes. Colby shook his head. No. No he was actually going crazy. The exhaustion must be getting to him. Because, he knew this woman. He knew her from the beach on the Na Pali Coast. The hippy, the one he’d seen in one of his hallucinations- but why was she back? Colby must be seeing things. He rubbed his eyes, but still she stood there, glaring at him. The brunette felt sick. What was going on? And then, the hippy opened her mouth, and one word tumbled out that made the hairs on Colby’s arms stick up.   
“Go....”   
Then, a massive lorry drove past, blocking his view from the hippy. And by the time it had passed, she was gone. Colby shuddered, his Starbucks cup slipping from his hand and dropping to the floor. And as the liquid seeped out and soaked into the stone, dribbling along the sidewalk and falling into the road- colby turned, and ran.


	6. Chapter 6

Sam sighed, wiggling his fingers as he climbed back into his car. He finally, FINALLY, after all this time, got his cast off. The white, bulky rock was gone from his arm; replaced with a little black brace thing, that he had to keep on for the time being. When the nurse had cut off the cast, Sam hadn’t been able to hold in his gasp at the very prominent scar lingering on his skin. To be honest, he always forgets they had to operate. But now his poor limb was finally free, and Sam was so glad. Too many nights had been spent trying to get comfortable with that heavy, clunky thing wrapped around his arm. And don’t even get him started on showering. 

The blonde smiled to himself, starting up his car and driving off towards home. Colby had offered to take Sam to get his cast off, because the blonde probably shouldn’t be driving with his arm the way it is; but the blonde had refused. He didn’t blame colby for being worried. Sam was a shit enough driver at the best of times (take back to the time he crashed his car into a tree with poor colby in the passenger seat), let alone with a kinda useless arm. But the blonde just wanted to do this himself; do something himself. For the past month or so, he hadn’t left his apartment, and now he was finally staring to feel better- and he needed to prove that to colby. He’d worried his poor best friend enough. 

Finally, he pulled into his apartment complex and parked up his car in the car park, before heading off to the stairs. When he got into his apartment, he threw his keys onto the side and collapsed onto the sofa. His laptop was open, propped on top of a cushion to his left. He’d abandoned it in a rush when he realised he was running late for his appointment and had to rush out the door at 100mph to get there in time. He reached over, grabbing the laptop and scrolling through the remaining emails he’d been sorting through. Most of them were trash, random emails from old company’s they’d collabed with telling him about their new products and what not. Some were important though, and he saved them into a folder so he could read them properly later. After about 5 minutes, he got bored. Sighing, the blonde stood up, going to grab his phone from the counter. He scrolled onto colbys contact and typed out a message, asking him if he wanted to come over to film a video for his channel. The brunette responded instantly saying he’d be over in 10 minutes. Sam placed his phone back down, trudging along to the bathroom. And it wasn’t until he was flushing the toilet that he heard movement in his apartment. God, colby was quick. Quicker than 10 minutes that’s for sure. “Oi! Thought you said 10 minutes!” Sam shouted, turning to wash his hands. He waited for his friends answer, but it didn’t come. Odd. Sam sighed, looking up at himself in the mirror, flicking his hair about a bit and patting down the sides. He needed a hair cut. Sam hummed, going to turn around, but something caught his eye in the mirror. A reflection that looked like-   
Oh.   
Oh no.   
No no no no no.   
A black cloud.   
Red beady eyes.   
His breath caught in his throat.   
He stared at the reflection, willing it to disappear. But it didn’t. It stayed there, loitering in the corner of his bathroom, and Sam was paralysed. He could feel the breath leaving his lungs, but it felt like it wasn’t returning. His chest was tight, and he felt his temples begin to throb. He clutched the sink with his shaking hands when he watched that- that thing- step forward from its position by the towel rack, stepping toward the blonde. Sam watched it in the mirror, too petrified to turn around. Too petrified to face it properly. And it wasn’t until the figure was right up behind the blonde, that he actually felt it. The cold rush of air swallowing his body whole, his hairs standing up on edge as tears gathered in his eyes. No, this wasn’t Sam going crazy. This wasn’t his imagination. This was real. And then he felt it, the pressure on his throat. Squeezing. Pressing down onto his airway. Closing it off. Sam gasped, hand coming up to grab at his throat. His head started spinning, throbbing with every violent beat of his racing heart; vision blurring- but the red beady eyes staring back at him in that mirror stayed as real as ever.   
“Sam?”   
Sam sobbed. He could feel the tears now, racing down his cheeks.   
“Sam? You in there bro?”   
The blondes fingernails clawed at his neck, desperately trying to relieve this pressure, but he couldn’t do anything. The shadow was smirking; sam was sure of it.   
“Dude! Hurry up in there, I need to piss.”   
Colby. Colby was here. Colby was here, oblivious to the fact his best friend of god knows how long was choking- actually being strangled. By the same thing that tormented his dreams, watched over him- ATTACKED him in Hawaii. It was here. And it was real.   
Black dots danced in his vision, and Colby’s voice was fading from Sam’s ears. Until one sound penetrated through his almost unconscious state- the sound of the bathroom door opening. And just like that, his airway opened, his headache ceased, and the black figure melted away into air. Sam took in a huge gasp of air, knees buckling, hitting the hard tiles of his bathroom floor.   
“Sam!” 

Hands. He could feel hands on him, pulling his fingers from where they were grasping his neck. Hands running up and down his back, holding his hair back as he emptied his stomach into the toilet. Hands wiping the tears from his burning cheeks with a tissue. Hands holding him tightly in a gentle hug. Hands that were so warm in contrast to the cold tiles of the bathroom floor they were sat on. 

These hands weren’t harsh, these hands weren’t cold, they weren’t rough or mean or harmful. These hands were gentle. Because they were Colby’s. And Colby was gentle. 

“What the hell was that, Sam?”   
Sam shook his head, just gripping his best friends jacket tighter as he shoved his face into his shoulder. They were still on the bathroom floor. Their limbs were numb and aching but colby didn’t dare move. He was holding a very broken, shaking form of his best friend in his arms- and he himself was terrified. He’d called Kat, she was on the way. Hopefully she could coax her boyfriend from the floor and somewhere warm. Sam was freezing. His skin was absolutely freezing. But it wasn’t that cold in the apartment.   
“Sam.. talk to me...” colby sighed.   
Another sob, followed by a sniff was all he got in return.   
“Tell me, what the fuck is going on?” Colby demanded, but it wasn’t harsh. His tone was gentle. Because colby was always gentle. 

The blonde sniffed one more time, before slowly leaving his friends warmth to flop back against the bathroom wall. He reluctantly dragged his eyes up to meet colbys worried ones, and he had to hold in a sob as he opened his mouth. 

“It’s back, Colby... and I promise. It’s real.”


	7. Chapter 7

Sam didn’t sleep well that night. He couldn’t even close his eyes- driven by the fear of seeing that- that THING lurking behind his eyelids. 

Colby wasn’t much better. Every creek, every bang, every squeak that sounded in his little apartment that night, had colby flinging himself out of bed to go investigate. Every little shadow, every little coat hanger that posed as a person in the dark- colby had to check. Because, what if it was her. The hippy. 

The morning after Sam’s... incident- colby was round the blonde boys apartment at the ripe time of 8am. It’s not like he could lie in- he couldn’t even sleep in the first place. He wasn’t surprised when sam answered the door- still dressed in yesterday’s clothes, dark bags under his red eyes and his blonde hair a dishevelled mess. He bet he looked equally as rough.   
“Morning,” colby smiled weakly.   
“Is it?” Sam croaked. His voice was hoarse, and the brunette couldn’t hold back his wince. Sam must have been crying- a lot.   
Colby nodded at the blonde, stepping through into the apartment. He took in the little nest of blankets that had been made on the couch, and the episode of stranger things playing on the tv, and the 3 empty coffee mugs on the table. Yeah. Sam hadn’t slept.   
“You alright?” Colby asked tentatively. Sam had moved to the kitchen, and was popping out some pain relief into his hand. The brunette watched as he popped them into his mouth, leaning his head under the tap to gather some water in his mouth to help swallow them. Once he’d finished, he cleared his throat and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.   
“Yeah. Bit of a headache, that’s all,” sam muttered. Colby nodded, sitting down on the couch.   
“You doing anything today?” The brunette questioned, kicking his shoes of so he could lounge more comfortably.   
“Yeah, dinner with Kat later- but..”   
“You’re cancelling?”   
“Don’t know.”   
“Why?”   
Sam sighed, finally moving from the kitchen and sitting down in his little cocoon of blankets once more.   
“I saw it again, colby. I’m not really in the mood for fine dining.”   
“Have you told Kat?”   
Sam paused.   
“About?”  
“The thing you saw. Obviously.”   
Sam shot him a glare, and colby suppressed a laugh.   
“No.. no I-“  
“Sam... just talk to her, dude.”  
“I... don’t want to scare her.”   
Colby’s face softened.   
“She’ll understand- she wants to understand,” colby tried.   
“I know.”  
Colby sighed, grabbing the remote and clicking off the episode of stranger things sam had on.   
“Oi! I was watching that!”   
“Oh hush.”   
Colby turned the tv of completely, before turning to sam.   
“Listen, dude. I actually... I need to tell you something....”   
“What?” Sam asked, bringing a hand up to his mouth so he could bite at his nails. Colby cringed.   
“Quit doing that will you, It’s grossing me out,” he shivered.   
Sam rolled his eyes, bringing his hand down to his lap.   
“Right.. so basically-“   
“Is this something bad?” Sam but in.   
“Um... kinda?”   
Sam whined, and colby smiled.   
“Anyways, i was walking down the street and i... well, I might just be going crazy- but I saw.. another hippy...”   
Sam froze, blue eyes boring into colbys.   
“No... no you... they were hallucinations?”   
“So was your shadow man.”  
Sam’s mouth fell close, and his eyes shot down to the ground.  
“No... no you didn’t see anything, colby. You couldn’t have!” Sam groaned.   
“Then, you couldn’t have actually seen that shadow thing!”  
“But i did see it! It was there!”  
“So was the hippy! Staring straight at me!”   
Sam fell silent.   
Colby fell silent.   
The room was silent.  
“This must be a joke. A sick prank.. or something,” sam whispered.   
“Sam....”  
“No! No it’s not.. it can’t be real. We saw those things in Hawaii- because we were being drugged! We’re not being drugged now.. are we?”   
“Not that I’m aware of.”  
“So, so... we’re just imagining it.. yeah?”   
Colby scoffed.  
“You’re telling me.. you imagined being choked to near death by an angry dark lord in your bathroom last night?”   
Sam opened his mouth to speak.   
“Sam.. I found you- and you couldn’t breathe- and you were throwing up and I couldn’t calm you down! That’s not in your head sam- that’s... that’s real.”   
A cold chill slipped down Sam’s spine, and he shivered unconsciously.   
“And what i saw... that was real too. I know it sounds crazy.. but I saw the spirit of that hippy- in real life. It wasn’t my imagination.”   
“I believe you.”   
Colbys lips curled upwards slightly at Sam’s words.   
“And i believe you.”   
Sam smiled slightly too, finally lifting his head to meet colbys gaze.   
There was silence for a bit, before sams soft, anxious voice broke it.   
“What the fuck is happening to us, Colby?”   
Colby just sighed, hand running through his brunette hair as he leaned back into the couch. 

“I don’t know... and I don’t know if I wanna find out.”


End file.
